Get off the hamster wheel …
… We live in a hurly-burly world where our attention is constantly required to attend to the mundane. Consequently, we may feel that life is monotonous and that we are way too busy doing things that have no reward and we will never get time to smell the roses. We end up feeling as if we have no centre; we may even feel that life has lost its texture and colour and that the world looks grey and dull. We feel disconnected from source, dissatisfied and drained of joy, feeling like we are trapped like a bored hamster on a squeaky wheel…aaaarg!
In the Sixties I lived for a while with my grandparents on a farm on the escarpment of the magnificent Drakensberg mountains in the then Eastern Transvaal, now Mpumalanga. Life was lived at a much slower pace back then and the digital age was decades away. We got up with the Sun and went to sleep soon after darkness fell. Our evening meals were illuminated by paraffin lamps as we had no electricity; we would leisurely eat a home-grown, home-cooked meal, tasting and savouring the textures and flavours with no interruptions. We chatted conversationally about our day and then spent some time on the veranda drinking tea, largely without speaking, each one reflecting on our day. The quiet companionship was comfortable and the promise of tomorrow was a pleasure we all looked forward to. There was no hurry at all, no anxiety about tomorrow. Once in bed and dropping off to sleep, a vast and deep silence punctuated by the night calls of wild animals, birds and insects wrapped us up in arms of serenity.
Few digitally-burdened city-dwellers could imagine a tranquil life such as this, with its concomitant connection to the rhythm of nature. Yet we all harbour this vague dream that 'one day' we will be able to take a breath and simply be able to feel relaxed and at peace with no obligation nor desire to have to respond to anything at all. Some of us are privileged to be able to afford holidays and to cease our frenetic need to be 'doing' stuff – for a short while. But it's never quite enough. We plough on, seeking a place in which to rest; to switch off; to log-out and to simply be part of the present moment.
This aspect of our Soul that seeks peace and quiet in the world that surrounds us will not be quieted; it persists until we finally heed its call and turn off our mobile phones and laptops and PC's; until we take up an activity that engages all of our senses allowing our Soul freedom to express and laugh and play and have communion with nature and take pleasure in being part of the human tribe. Oftentimes we reach out and do something that we have never done before, like ballroom dancing or a poetry reading or a meditation class – and we feel energised and delighted with the sparkling sensation we have running through our body and wonder why-on-earth we don't do it more often.
It's sad that we do not often 'make time' for fun, for relationships and for appreciating the simpler things in life. Becoming aware of this is a step in the direction of having more time to do what your Soul is calling you to do. Actively becoming aware of your Self as a system that can be 'operated' is a good place to start. How am I to do that, you may ask? Well you could start by deciding that you will commit to practicing yoga, or tai chi or a form of meditation.
There are many forms of meditation that can deepen your connection to the source of all energy so that you access it whenever you please and in so doing are able to get off the hamster wheel and create a life that you are delighted with.
Experience that peace and quiet your Soul desires; book your spot in a SoulFul Art Workshop where you can plug back into your creative source and begin a practice of mindful awareness.
